A common experience when towing a trailer or the like weighing more than about fifty percent of the towing vehicle's weight is the dangerous condition resulting from loss of traction and steering control and/or increased trailer swaying as occurs due to excessive tongue weight. In an important advancement in the prior art, special towing assemblies known as “weight distribution” type towing assemblies have been developed and, with proper selection and setup, largely alleviate the foregoing hazards. As a result of this benefit, weight distribution type towing assemblies have been placed into widespread use.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a typical weight distribution hitch assembly 10 as known in the prior art generally comprises a weight distribution hitch head assembly 15 dependently attached to a weight distribution hitch shank assembly 39. The weight distribution hitch shank assembly 39, which generally comprises a riser 42 integral with, or welded or otherwise connected to, a drawbar 40, is dependently attached to the towing vehicle, typically to a hitch receiver tube (not shown) mounted to the towing vehicle bumper, frame or other appropriate rear structure. In particular, the drawbar 40 is inserted into the receiver tube and secured in place using a hitch pin (not shown), which in turn is locked in position with a spring clip, R-clip, lynchpin or the like (not shown).
As shown in FIG. 1, the riser 42 (which, particularly when installed in the inverted position, is alternatively referred to as a “drop”) typically comprises a plurality of head assembly mounting holes 43. The weight distribution hitch head assembly 15, which generally comprises an upper platform 16, a lower platform 26 and a plurality of wings 28 interconnecting the upper platform 16 and the lower platform 26 and being adapted to generally operate in the fashion of a clevis, is adjustably mounted to the weight distribution shank assembly 39 by securing the wings 28 of the head assembly 15 about the riser 42 of the shank assembly 39. In particular, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the head assembly 15 is typically conventionally secured in place on and about the riser 42 of the shank assembly 39 with an upper attachment bolt 33, held in place with a corresponding lock washer 34 and nut 35 combination, and with a lower attachment bold 36, likewise held in place with a corresponding lock washer 37 and nut 38 combination.
As also shown in the figures, however, the foregoing attachment hardware also cooperates with other provisions to form a tilt control assembly 30, as is necessary for proper setup and adjustment of the weight distribution hitch assembly 10. In particular, such a tilt control assembly 30 is typically implemented by the provision of a plurality of serrated washer plate 31 formed integral with or affixed to the outer faces 29 of the wings 28 of the head assembly 15 and cooperatively adapted to fixedly engage with provided serrated washers 32. As is known to those of ordinary skill in the art, the tilt of the head assembly 15 is controlled by rotating the head assembly 15 about the loosely fitted lower attachment bolt 36 and, when in the desired position, engaging the serrated washers 32 with the correspondingly serrated washer plates 31 and, thereafter, tightening the nut 35 of the upper attachment bolt 33 and the nut 38 of the lower attachment bolt 36.
In a typical implementation of a weight distribution hitch assembly 10, the upper platform 16 of the head assembly 15 comprises a plurality of upper sockets 17 and that the lower platform 26 of the head assembly 15 comprises a plurality of lower sockets 27, which sockets 17, 27 are cooperatively adapted for the attachment of spring bar trunnions or the like (not shown) in a manner well known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Additionally, the upper platform 16 is typically provided with a ball hole 18 for the attachment of a conventional hitch ball 19, which generally comprises a threaded shank 21 extending from a shoulder 20, which shank 21 is secured in place in the ball hole 18 with conventional ball mounting hardware 22 such as the nut 23 and lock washer 24 combination shown in the figures. Finally, the upper platform 16 of a typical weight distribution hitch head assembly 15 commonly comprises one or more sway control attachment tabs 25 for connecting to and use of an independent friction style sway control apparatus (not shown).
As previously mentioned, the described prior art combination represents a great improvement over its prior art, particularly when provided with the many described features as generally facilitate proper setup and use. Unfortunately, however, the particular structures that enable the advantages of weight distribution type hitch assemblies also contribute or give rise to disadvantages or other shortcomings. For example, the greater structure as described necessarily results in a generally very heavy assembly. Compounding this issue, the somewhat complicated setup and adjustment procedure necessary for proper and safe utilization generally dictates that once configured for a particular towing configuration the assembled combination 10 of the head assembly 15 and the shank assembly 39 will not be disassembled. Because such weight distribution hitch assemblies are often utilized with recreational trailers and the like, which in turn are widely utilized by retirees who are typically more likely than the general population to be lacking in physical strength, some efforts have been made to address excess weight. For example, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the weight distribution hitch shank assembly 39 may be provided with side recesses 41 along the drawbar 40 or a central recess 44 through the shank 44, each of which provides at least some weight reduction.
While, as discussed above, some disadvantages or shortcomings of these assemblies can be at least partially addressed, the solutions themselves are known to contribute to other disadvantages which have not been adequately addressed. For example, the described recesses 41, 44 provide areas for the collection of heavy grease (as must be applied to various portions of the assembly), which areas are generally inaccessible for cleaning. Additionally, the described sockets 17, 27, serrated washer plates 31, serrated washers 32, various bolts and the like 21, 33, 36 and other areas such as, for example the area between the wings 28, also result collection points for grease that are generally not readily accessible for cleaning. As a result, the enjoyment of a recreational trailer or the like is often tempered by the frustration of completely destroyed clothing.
Still further, it is noted that the functional requirements of many of the described structures dictate that the same be constructed in such a manner as to result in many protuberances not generally associated with an ordinary hitch assembly. For example, the described sockets 17, 27, various bolts and the like 21, 33, 36, and sway control attachment tabs 25 all generally present sharp corners. Because of this, the enjoyment of a recreational trailer or the like is often further tempered by scraped shins and the like. Still further, these structures are generally located at just the right height for striking playing children.
Although the hitch assembly 10 could of course be removed from the towing vehicle while at a campsite, thereby reducing some of these disadvantages, the weight of such an assembly 10 generally makes this a less than attractive solution. Additionally, the unwieldy shape taken by such assemblies has heretofore precluded development of a cover structure that could be fitted to such an assembly in a manner that addresses the foregoing disadvantages. As a result, it is an overriding object of the present invention to improve over the prior art by providing a protective cover for use in connection with a weight distribution type towing hitch assembly that may be securely applied to the hitch assembly regardless of the adjustment of the assembly and that simultaneously provides protection against both damage to clothing and injury from inadvertent impact. Additionally, it is an object of the present invention to provide such a protective cover that is readily and economically manufacturable, thereby being available to the widest array of users. Finally, it is also an object of the present invention to provide such a protective cover that is generally durable and weatherable, the advantages thereof thereby being available regardless of weather conditions and the like.